Welcome to SkyEye, your guide to this month's celestial events. All dates are based on Universal Time (UT).
There are no eclipses this month.
Earth gets it best glimpse of the Sun's north pole on 8 September. The equinox occurs on 22 September, marking the beginning of autumn in the northern hemisphere and the start of spring in the south. As seen from the Earth, the Sun is moving from the constellation Leo to the constellation Virgo.
The phases of the Moon are
| First Quarter : |
5 September
|
| Full : |
13 September
|
| Last Quarter : |
21 September
|
| New : |
27 September
|
The Moon is at apogee on 8 September and at perigee on
24 September.
The word planet is derived from the Greek word for "wanderer." Unlike the background stars, planets seem to move around the sky, keeping mostly to a narrow track called the ecliptic, the path of the Sun across the stars.
- Mercury
- Mercury is emerging out of the glare of the Sun in the west after sunset but is best viewed from the southern hemisphere. It is in the constellations Leo and Virgo.
- Venus
- The "evening star" is climbing high in the western sky for southern hemisphere observers but continues to hug the horizon in the northern hemisphere. Venus can be found in the constellation Libra.
- Mars
- Now a morning sky object, Mars can be seen in the east before sunrise in the constellation Leo, passing close by the first-magnitude star Regulus on 16 September.
- Jupiter
- At west quadrature on the second day of the month, the king of the planets glides through the Hyades open star cluster in the constellation Taurus, passing near the bright star Aldebaran. Jupiter begins to retrograde on 29 September.
- Saturn
- Look for Saturn in the general vicinity of Jupiter in the constellation Taurus. The ringed planet begins retrograde motion on 12 September.
- Uranus
- Uranus is up most of the night in the constellation Capricornus.
- Neptune
- You can find Neptune not far from Uranus in the constellation Capricornus.
- Pluto
- Reaching east quadrature on 2 September, Pluto sets in the evening hours in the constellation Ophiuchus. However, because it is so small and faint, a large telescope is always needed to see it.
- Minor Planets
- A number of interesting minor planets populate the solar system.
- Comets
- There are no naked-eye comets visible this month. However, comet 2P/Encke reaches perihelion on 9 September. With an orbital period of just 3.3 years, it holds the record for most observed visits around the Sun. 2P/Encke is named not for its discoverer, Pierre Méchain (1786), but for Johann Encke who calculated its orbit and predicted its 1822 return extremely accurately. This comet is also the source of the material that becomes the Taurids, a minor meteor shower in November. A telescope will be necessary to view this visitor on its latest appointment with the inner solar system as it is expected to be no brighter than eighth magnitude. Located in the morning sky in the constellation Leo prior to perihelion, it reappears after perihelion in the evening sky in the constellation Virgo.
- Meteors
- The delta Aurigids peak on 8 September but the waxing Moon will be setting soon after the radiant of this shower rises, causing minimal interference.
Constellations are patterns of stars in the sky. The International Astronomical Union (IAU) recognises 88 different constellations. The brightest stars as seen from the Earth are easy to spot but do you know their proper names? With a set of binoculars you can look for fainter objects such as nebulae and galaxies or some of the closest stars to the Sun.
Descriptions of the sky for observers in both the northern and southern hemispheres are available for the following times this month. Subtract one hour from your local time if daylight savings time is in effect. (Note: These times are approximate.)
Northern Hemisphere : 45° N
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
Southern Hemisphere : 30° S
- 1730 hours (1830 hours daylight savings)
- 1930 hours (2030 hours daylight savings)
- 2130 hours (2230 hours daylight savings)
- 2330 hours (0030 hours daylight savings)
- 0130 hours (0230 hours daylight savings)
- 0330 hours (0430 hours daylight savings)
- 0530 hours (0630 hours daylight savings)
- Consult our online glossary for non-technical explanations of many of the astronomical terms used in these pages.
- Blue moons, eclipses, the dates of Easter and much more can be found at the Interactive Astronomy Pages.
- For more information about the objects and events described in SkyEye, visit these astronomy-related sites.
Credits
Much of this information can be found in this month's issue of Sky & Telescope and in other fine amateur astronomy magazines available in your local bookshop. Another excellent source is the current edition of the Astronomical Calendar by Guy Ottewell and published by the Universal Workshop at Furman University.
The image of the Sun in the SkyEye banner is courtesy of the SOHO/EIT consortium. SOHO is a project of international cooperation between ESA and NASA.
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Last modified on 31 August 2000
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